Chapter 47 The Tower Of Flames

"So… what is an Immortal Feast, anyway?" Zhi Ruo asked as the group walked through Inferno Cuisine City, browsing the various shops and small contests it had to offer.

"It's a special event usually only hosted once a year, unless there is an extremely special occasion," Qing Lili replied with a smile. "During the Immortal Feast, the Immortal Chef's restaurant is open to the general population. Though they still have to pay extravagant prices to actually enjoy the food, they no longer require invitations to enter the diner, just for this day. As for the 'feast' part of the name, that's because the really high-class VIPs are able to enjoy a full-course meal prepared by the Immortal Chef, instead of ordering dishes like normal."

"Wow… I wonder what Immortal Fairy Huo Fei's Feast will taste like…" Zhi Ruo sighed, basking in the thought. "I heard some of her dishes have helped many alchemists achieve enlightenment in the Alchemic Way… is this true?"

'Actually, it's not her food that does that,' Xuan thought in his head. 'It's the herbs that Ling'er threw into some of her recipes that does the trick.' Though, of course, he saw no reason to tell them this.

"Lady Zhi is truly well-informed," Zheng Kuang said with a chuckle. "Indeed, Immortal Fairy Huo Fei's food has helped many talented alchemists both young and old achieve breakthroughs in the Alchemic Way, though the main appeal is still for cultivators. As for tasting the Immortal Feast… heh. You only have to wait a few more hours, until the banquet begins."

At this, both Zhi Ruo and Qing Lili's eyes widened.

"You… managed to secure a VIP spot?"

"Of course. It took a lot of effort and resources, but… I managed to secure us three spots, yes."

Saying this, he turned to look at Xuan with an almost sad look—but it was, of course, fake.

"Unfortunately, that means Lady Zhi's friend here won't be able to join us."

"This…" Zhi Ruo glanced at Xuan briefly, then turned back to Zhang Kuang with a stern look. "No. If that's the case, then you can hand over my spot to someone else as well."

This time, it was Zhang Kuang's turn to be surprised.

"What…? Lady Zhi, are you certain? You are willing to give up an opportunity to achieve a breakthrough in the Alchemic Way for this trash?"

"Watch your tone," Qing Lili interjected, folding her arms and glaring at the other man. "Zhi Ruo's friend is my friend—and I won't allow you to speak ill of him."

"Ah, my apologies—allow me to rephrase, then. Lady Zhi, are you aware of the chance you are throwing away here, for a mere Core Formation stage cultivator like him? I don't understand—the path of both alchemy and cultivation are long ones—there are bound to be stronger, smarter, and more talented men you will meet in the future. This 'friend' here is quite good-looking, I admit, but he is not worthy for someone like you."

"I will decide who is worthy for me, and who isn't," Zhi Ruo said calmly. "What journey is enjoyable if not one spent with somebody of my own choosing?"

But just then, Xuan placed a hand on Zhi Ruo's shoulder, and he shook his head.

"It's alright. Just go, senior sister. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, remember?"

"But… I said that I'd eat together with you…" Zhi Ruo looked distressed as she looked at Xuan with conflicted eyes, to which Xuan simply gave a smile and rubbed her head.

"It's fine, senior sister. With this cultivation of mine, I can't make use of the benefits from the food up there, anyway. I'll just enjoy some of the dishes in the lower, non-VIP levels."

Zhi Ruo appeared to still be hesitant, but at Xuan's insistence, she at last gave in and sighed.

"… Alright."

At this response, Zheng Kuang shot a dark smirk in Xuan's direction, but the expression only stayed for an instant, and the next moment, it was gone—he'd returned to his normal, practiced, and utterly vile smile.

'Hmph… I've known Lili for a few months now, and even I haven't even gotten to touch her… yet you can just walk up and shake her hand like it's nothing?' Zheng Kuang snarled in his head. 'You're just a Core Formation stage brat, and you think you can lay your hands on my woman?'

He glanced sideways at Xuan's completely calm and ignorant expression, and resisted the urge to chuckle out loud.

​ 'Ha! Fool, I actually have four tickets, but I'm not giving you a VIP spot, so you end up at the bottom of the tower. When the feast begins and you hear the explanation of the 'rules', you're obviously going to try and climb the tower like everyone else—and when you do, that is when your fate is sealed, to become a cripple for the rest of your life, ahaha!'

Despite all the dark and sinister plans going on in his head, however, Zheng Kuang impressively managed to maintain that innocent and gentle smile of his on the surface, and continued giving the two ladies his tour of Inferno Cuisine City.

It was just too bad—normal girls may be fooled by this kind act, but both Zhi Ruo and Qing Lili were quite far from normal.

*****

After wandering around the city for a while longer, the sun had fallen and it was time for the Immortal Feast to begin. The four made their way to the Tower of Flames, where Zheng Kuang showed the guards at the front door their three VIP invitations. Without any hassle, they were let up the elevator that would take them to the top floor where all the VIPs would be, while Xuan was forced to simply go in through the front, and enter the crowded bottommost floor.

Just like what one would expect from a restaurant, there were many tables laid around with white cloth draped over them, surrounded by velvet leather chairs. Unlike most diners, however, at the center of the floor was also a massive elevated platform that looked like a boxing ring, and Xuan smiled.

'Still haven't changed this tradition of yours, huh?'

Huo Fei was someone who valued strength highly. As such, for all the Immortal Feasts she'd held in the past, she'd always set up an arena like this on every floor. In fact, it had been Xuan's idea to begin with—those who achieved a victory could progress to the next floor and enjoy higher-quality food as well as special rewards, while those who didn't were forced to stay down here. Killing was not allowed, but near-killing was.

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And that, was precisely why Xuan had chosen to come here.

In fact, even if Zheng Kuang had four tickets, Xuan would've still chosen to climb the tower himself, so in reality, the other man had simply given Xuan a easy way to get what he wanted.

After all, Xuan remembered his breakthrough requirement—a good fight. Who knew? Perhaps he would be able to fulfill it right here, before his meeting with Nine Heavens in the Flaming Sands Field. Since the heavens have granted him such a good opportunity, then he'd have to be a fool to not take it. Was it dishonorable to their duel? Perhaps. Did Xuan care? Not in the slightest. Heck, knowing Nine Heavens, he was probably looking for a way to do the same right about now.

Very soon, a voice boomed through the entire tower—much like the effects of a PA system from Earth, except done with a combination of various Sound techniques and arrays. It sounded like it belonged to a female, but Xuan could tell it was not Huo Fei speaking. Probably just a servant underneath her command.

"Welcome, dear guests, to the Tower of Flames. Tonight is the night of the annual Immortal Feast of Inferno Cuisine City, prepared by Immortal Fairy Huo Fei herself. However, unlike other Immortal Diners, here, your family status and background do not dictate what level of treatment you can receive. Here, only your strength decides that."

'Yeah… unless you were an exceptional VIP with special status.'

As she said this, the boxing ring suddenly elevated further, as the lights in the room were all turned to focus on it.

"That is the Arena of Fire. Those who win can proceed to the next floor, while those who lose have to descend. For every victory, not only will you be able to receive better delicacies, you will also receive additional rewards depending on what floor you advanced onto. From mere Qi Restoration Pills to the legendary lost Sealed World Pearl… we have it all."

At this, the crowd erupted into excitement.

"The Sealed World Pearl! It's actually the Sealed World Pearl!"

"No way… but it was said to have been lost since ancient times! Did Immortal Fairy Huo Fei obtain it, somehow?!"

"Incredible… to think I'd be able to stumble across an opportunity like this here! Haha, I truly have heaven-blessed luck!"

'Indeed… I never expected to come across the Sealed World Pearl here…' Xuan thought to himself as the crowd continued cheering, rubbing his chin. 'So that's what the other signal on my Compass was. With my current strength, I should be able to take on even Origin Monarchs now using the Vampire Transformation, but… it'll still be difficult.'

Regardless, he was going to try. The Sealed World Pill was a legendary Divine-Grade treasure, said to have once belonged to the Dimension Transcender True God—another one of the Ten True Gods. If memory served Xuan correctly, it was an artifact with an entire small world within, and could be used for anything from hiding, storing things, to simply relaxation.

The real reason why everyone wanted this artifact, however, was that rumors claimed the rest of Dimension Transcender True God's legacy was also stored inside that very small world, along with a wonderful and very special cultivation spot known as the World Pond.

Of course, all of these were rumors. But like a wise man used to say, no rumors are without a hint of truth to them. The real question was… why was Huo Fei giving something as valuable as this away? No matter how Xuan looked at it, this was a losing deal. Sure, the reward would attract many people and entice them to fight for it, but… what was her goal?

"There are twenty floors in total," the female announcer continued, as the crowd settled down. "The benefits you will be able to gain here today, and the things you will be leaving here with tonight… are both up to you, and you alone. Best of luck to all the guests, and we look forward to seeing your performance."

With that, the voice cut off, and the crowd immediately rushed towards the Arena of Fire. Some chose to admit their weakness and simply stay at the bottom floor to eat some stale bread—which was still helpful to cultivation, since it was made by Huo Fei—but for the most part, the majority wanted to try their luck at climbing the floors.

The arena was, of course, guarded by several employees, who would take care of registering and managing everyone. As such, there was no rush, and Xuan slowly ate a piece of the stale bread on a plate nearby before heading towards the registration tables.

'Originally, I'd suggested this event to Huo Fei since every good meal must come with equally good entertainment,' Xuan thought as he munched on the bread pieces in his mouth—he could taste her cooking in it. 'But who would've thought… the original inventor of this system is now a contestant himself?'

Well—if every dish needed to be paired with a good performance, then—

He smiled devilishly, and reared his neck back.

It was showtime.

<New Side Quests Available!>

<Climb the Tower>

<Ascend to the peak of the Tower of Flames by defeating your opponents in battle, one by one.>

Rewards:

- Sealed World Pearl (Divine-Grade Artifact)

- Spirit Crystals

- 10,000 Credits

- Variety Artifacts (hover for more info)

- Variety Pills (hover for more info)

<Track>